Sunday, January 24, 2016

Some New Nyx Products from Early 2016

I haven't actually been watching Nyx quite as closely as I was last year, but I happened to notice some photos of their new products on the official Nyx Instagram account and got pretty excited. I wanted to grab a good handful of things, but could only afford to start with four lip products for the time being.

I got two new shades of their matte lipstick, which I already have a few of that I like, a Full Throttle lipstick, and a Lip Lingerie liquid-to-matte.


Nyx matte lipstick "Up the Bass"
 Up the Bass is described as a "grey purple." It's a beautiful, greyed-kinda-mauve-ish, deep purple and it's a color I've been looking for for a long time. I'm really happy to have something in this color now. The formula is pretty much exactly like the other matte lipsticks from Nyx that I have (Butter, Eurotrash, and Maison). It's very creamy to apply, but transfers very easily and almost looks more satin-like in finish than a true matte.

Nyx matte lipstick "Haze"
Haze is described as a "grey". On me, I think it's a fairly neutral grey, almost warm in some lights, but never looks bluish like several other grey lipsticks out there do (like their new Double Dare shade or Melt Space Cake). I love the color, but this one felt more emollient than all of the other matte lipsticks I have from Nyx. It's not as slippery as their Wicked Lippies, but it has a harder time staying on than Up the Bass and it transfers off more easily since it doesn't stick that well to my lips. I'll have to try with a lip primer to see if that helps.

Full Throttle lipstick "Lethal Kiss"
Lethal Kiss is the shade I got to try of the new Full Throttle lipstick. I really like this hot pink color. It shows up brighter in person than my photo. This lipstick applies pretty easily and it claims to have a "waterproof" finish. I don't think I'd be wearing this to the pool, but I will say it's more matte than the matte lipsticks and is thinner. It feels like I'm wearing nothing on the lips. This lipstick also has great longevity. I wore this one for several hours and had very little inner lip fading and nearly no transfer, though it did make my lips look dry and cracked toward the end of wearing. Note about this lipstick: It's a slim style bullet similar to their High Voltage line, but more firm and matte to apply. I've worn this one four time and the bullet has already broken off of the base. :(

Lip Lingerie "Embellishment"
Embellishment is described as a |"muted purple," though I'd describe it more as a mauve-like shade than a purple. I had my doubts about this product because I've heard very mixed feedback about Nyx's Liquid Suede line, which I haven't tried, but I love this lipstick! It applies easily with the flattened, doe-foot applicator and it dries down all the way to a dry, transfer-proof matte finish. This one does have that kind of drying feeling like most liquid lipsticks do, but it's definitely not as dry as the ColourPop Ultra-Mattes. I accidentally fell asleep with this one on ( <_< ) and woke up with it still intact except feeling super dry since I'm a snorer. I definitely want to grab another shade or two of this product. I really recommend if you like liquid-to-mattes.


So, overall, I'm still pretty excited about these new products. I want to get Honeymoon from the Lip Lingerie as well as another shade or two of the Full Throttle lipstick, even though mine broke.

Matte lipsticks retail for $6 on Nyx's site and contain 0.16oz (4.5g) of product.
Full Throttle lipsticks retail for $7 and contain 0.08oz (2.4g) of product.
Lip Lingerie retail for $7 and contain 0.13oz (4mL) of product.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Nyx Intense Butter Glosses and High Voltage Lipsticks

I'm super late on this review as I bought all of these months ago when they were new for the spring season, but I figured I'd review them anyway for anyone out in the interwebs who've never tried them and were thinking about doing so.

Nyx Intense Butter Glosses are described on their site as having the same scent and texture as the original Butter Glosses, but with even more color payoff.

Berry Strudel is described as a "violet with a blue undertone," which I'd agree with. It's a bright purple that doesn't have any pink or red tones so it's a purple tent to gravitate towards. The lighting in my apartment is slightly yellow, which did make my swatch appear slightly pink-toned. It applies nicely, but it's not as opaque as the other two shades I have with only one layer. I'm not a big gloss lover, so I pretty much never do more than one layer.

Berry Strudel
Chocolate Crêpe is described as a "deep beige." On me, it's a deep neutral brownish color with some warm tones. It's not brown enough to be called a straight-up brown. I really like these darker neutral shades on myself. It's definitely opaque all in one layer and feels comfortable on the lips throughout wear.

Chocolate Crêpe
Tres Leches is described as a "nude". It's a light-to-medium beige shade with some pinkish tones. Very pretty neutral color and just as comfy as the other two.

Tres Leches

I'll probably sound biased in reviewing these glosses just because I don't wear gloss often. That being said, I do find these very comfortable to wear and they don't feel too thick or goopy in one layer, which is all I ever wear. Layering more than that on feels too thick for my preferences. These glosses are also not sticky at all once they're settled onto the lips, but they do start to feel tacky if the product wears or is blotted off.

Intense Butter Glosses retail for $6 each (8mL/0.27oz of product) on Nyx's website and are also sold at Ulta and probably other stores like Target or similar, where they may go on sale. Ulta does BOGO half off all the time with Nyx stuff.


Nyx High Voltage Lipsticks claim to give a "vibrant color with a super-rich finish." The ones I have are all highly pigmented and apply really smoothly and easily. They don't have very good lasting power at all, but it's a trade-off since they're so smooth and moisturizing. The product general reapplies well over itself (I'll mention otherwise for individual shades).

Flutter Kisses is described as a "soft pink mauve," which it indeed is. It's pretty similar to my lip color but still looks like I'm wearing something so I like wearing it on days when I'm not wearing much makeup at all for a little something. It applies smoothly and doesn't feel thick or settle into my fine lines.

Flutter Kisses
Beam is described as a "pink peach with blue undertone." It's a bright, peachy-pink-almost-coralish color with some subtle silver glitters. This one is thicker than the other shades I have and it settles into my fine lines. If I rub my lips together, I can feel the glitters.

Beam
Stone is described as a "beige". It's a neutral-to-cool toned beige on me that's a bit darker than my skin tone. This one is smooth, not too thick or heavy, and fades fairly quickly in a few hours, but reapplies fine.

Stone
Play Date is described as a "bright lavender." On me, it's a cool, almost grey-toned lavender and I love it! I wore it constantly all late winter and spring. It's pretty unique and so comfy to wear. I love the color enough that I don't care about having to reapply a few times throughout the day.

Play Date

Free Spirit is described as a "clean orange." It's definitely a straight-up orange, which makes me happy because a lot of orange shades I find in drugstores are more orange-red. This is the thinnest and longest-wearing out of all the shades I have. It's a beautiful, bright, legit orange and I'm happy to have found one for such a good price because it's not a color I wear all the time.

Free Spirit

High Voltage Lipsticks retail for $6 each (2.5g/0.09oz of product) on Nyx's site or at Ulta, maybe Target, etc. These are definitely a better value in terms of product quantity compared to ColourPop lippie stix (which are $5 each for only 1g) and are slightly less good of a value than Nyx's tube lipsticks like the Matte or Butter lipsticks.

Nyx does not test on animals, but I have seen animal-derived ingredients listed in their products, including the High Voltage lipsticks, which have beeswax in them.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lips Review and Swatches

ColourPop has been pumping out a ton of new shades and new products over these past several months and their new Ultra Matte Lips had been something I wanted to try out because I love liquid-to-matte lipsticks. I decided to start with four shades before jumping into getting too many of a brand new item, just in case I didn't like them.

I picked up Trap, Kapow, Jellies, and Dr. M.

From left to right: Jellies, Dr. M, Kapow, and Trap

Trap is described as a "dusty greyed-out beige ("greige")," which has seemed to be a bit of a popular king of color recently. I see it as a greigeish color with some mauve tones. For a light shade of liquid lipstick, this color has amazing longevity. I do get that weird looking ring around the center of my lips after wearing it for many hours, but it's not as noticeable as with lighter beige lipsticks. I put this on my lips at around 9:30am and then drove 7.5 hours home from vacation while snacking and drinking soda and this color didn't fade whatsoever. I can't say I have any other lipsticks that hold up quite as well.

Trap

 Kapow is described as a "muted grey taupe," which I'd agree it has those tones, but it looks pretty brown on my lips (which I love!). This one has pretty much the same lasting power as Trap does. It does transfer onto eating utensils and drinking straws, but hardly any of it transfers onto my hand when I do the "kiss test."

Kapow

Jellies is described as a "rich cobalt blue," which it indeed is. This one is pretty runny compared to the other ones. All four of the shades I have are thin and more liquidy rather than creamy, but Jellies is almost watery. This is the only shade out of these four that doesn't dry to a truly "ultra matte" finish, also. It feels matte once it dries, but it looks like it has kind of a vinyl sheen. This and Dr. M are really hard to apply evenly and my swatches show it. I recommend using a liner you can see to help guide the application. When I try to apply this on its own, it's a hot mess.

Jellies
Dr. M is described as a "deep blackened green," which I agree with. I really love this color, but it's almost as hard to apply as Jellies. I'm going to have to get a green pencil to use with it to make application easier. This one dries completely dry-matte and I can feel it on my lips more than Kapow or Trap. I can definitely feel these darker shades have a different texture.

Dr. M

There are definitely some great pros to these guys, but also some strong cons for me:

PROS:
- Extremely long wearing
- Very minimal color fading
- Very affordable: $6 each for 3.2g/0.11oz, which is the same amount as Anastasia's liquid lips (which are $20 each)
- Fun colors! It's nice to get to try colors you may not normally wear for a low price

CONS:
- Very dry. If your lips are already dry or you don't like liquid-to-matte lips, you'll hate these
- Difficult to apply. I find Jellies and Dr. M particularly challenging. Liner will be necessary, IMO
- Dries too fast. There's no play time with these and you need to apply quickly or else the finish gets weird
- Not beginner friendly. I'm used to liquid lipsticks, but I'm still having a hard time getting these to apply evenly since they dry so fast.
- Not buildable or possible to reapply. All four of these are good for one layer only. I've tried reapplying the product over itself and it just flakes and falls apart on my lips after that. If I mess up my application, I need to fully remove it and try again.


These liquid lipsticks all retail for $6 each on ColourPop's site and the brand does not test on animals.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Huge ColourPop Haul and Review (I basically went kinda nuts)

SO, I recently decided it was finally time to order a few things off of ColourPop after seeing, reading, and hearing so much hype about their products. Sometimes, I try to wait at least a little bit before trying a hyped up brand or product for myself, but these prices make it easy to take the plunge. ColourPop's lipsticks, lip pencils, and eyeshadows all cost $5 each and the blushes are $8, which is all super affordable, considering their wide range of shades that they offer.

I did pick up a total of 25 items from ColourPop within two separate orders, so be prepared for a long post. I'm going to be showing swatches of every product as well as how the company describes each shade along with a brief blip of my own opinion, so grab some refreshments for this one, friends.

Starting with eyeshadows, the four I picked up are pretty great. I find that they perform the best for me over two bases: NARS Smudge-proof Eyeshadow Base all over the eye area followed by Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue if I intend to wear these shadows on the eyelid (as in, not the crease or higher). I also find that these apply the best with fingers or with a flat synthetic brush rather than a fluffy brush. For reference, my eyelids are very oily.

Fizz is described as an "electric neon yellow green laced with multidimensional glitter." I think it's a bit more of a "neon pastel" and not necessarily a true neon, but its brightness depends on the base you use and your skin tone. It lasted on me for over 10 hours.

Rex is described as a "black drenched with multiple shades of blue glitter." I find this one has to be built up a little bit to show its full glitteriness, but it's not too hard to work with.

Slave2Pink is described as an "electric neon pink loaded up with blue, violet, hot pink, and silver glitter with an insanely metallic duo chrome finish. I can't really say anything negative about this puppy. Incredibly pink!

Roulette is described as a "true black in a matte finish." It's fully matte with no sheen, it's soft, it's blendable, and it's got a medium opacity. Not the most pigmented black, but it's not bad.

Top to bottom: Roulette, Rex, Fizz, Slave2Pink (not over any base)

Next is blushes. I have three and I really like them! They're quite versatile in that it's easy to get a more sheer, "natural" cheek color if you use a light hand or a duo-fiber synthetic brush, yet it's also not hard to build up the color to a more full color payoff. It's important to dab or pat the blush if using fingers to apply. I tried swiping and it just didn't keep the color on the cheeks that way.

Mochi is described as a "bright blue pink in a matte finish." It's a cute bubblegum pink that is bright without being over-the-top. I won't lie, I mainly got this for the name because I love mochi, but it's a really nice color!

Prenup is a "mid-tone plum pink in a satin finish." This one takes quite a bit of building on me because I like my blush to be really out there and not too subtle. I often prefer this blush combined with another to intensify, but it's got a beautiful sheen that makes it look great as a blush topper.

Pegacorn (I tend to say "alicorn") is a "deep violet in a satin finish." I'd say the same about this one as the other two I have: not hard to go lightly, but easily buildable.

Top to bottom: Prenup, Mochi, Pegacorn

And, finally, the Lippie Stix.

The Lippie Primer applies similarly to Nyx's lip primer ($7 on their site, possibly on sale sometimes at Ulta) and it performs similarly, too. The Nyx one is better value because it's 3g for $7, whereas the Lippie is 1g for $5. I find that it does help lipsticks to last longer on my lips, but it also makes my lips feel a bit drier than they would if I used no primer. Not a big deal for me, but something to consider if your lips are severely dry. For me, it's not really a necessity at all and I only use lip primers on occasion. The primers also don't work with all lip products, but generally go well under traditional lipsticks.

Cookie is a "true nude beige in a matte finish." It's a gorgeous and easy-to-wear nude on my complexion. It looks beautiful with MAC Spice lip pencil or even with no liner (as shown below).

Cookie

Juicy is a "bright strawberry pink hyper glossy finish." It stays on surprisingly well for a very glossy texture. Even though it's "glossy", it's not sticky or goopy like actual lip gloss can be. It's got a high shine and it's a great watermelon candy color. This does feel a bit thick if too much at once is applied.

Juicy

Lumière is a "dusty mauve pink in a matte finish." It's a beautiful neutral day-to-day kind of shade that looks good with just about any makeup look and would definitely flatter multiple complexions.

Lumière

Skimpy is a "soft pale nude beige in a glossy finish." It's very nude on me and a lip liner is necessary to get the look that I, personally, go for with nude lips. Without a liner, this is a concealer-lips color on me. This color looks pretty similar to MAC Crème D'Nude.

Skimpy

Bound is a "light nude pink in a glossy finish." I also got the Bound pencil, which is slightly darker and pairs very nicely with the lipstick. I swatched them individually to show the difference. The lippie stick is a very, very light pink and, like Skimpy, it looks better paired with a liner.

Bound lippie stick
Bound pencil

Tipsy is a "light neon yellow peach in a glossy finish." This shade looks like what you'd get if OCC Annika and Cha Cha lip tars had a baby. On its own, it doesn't really flatter my complexion, but it looks pretty bomb with a more true-orange liner. With a red liner, it makes a coraly-pink.

Tipsy

Cake is a "bright pastel peachy pink in a satin finish." It's a really light peachy color that's pretty bright in certain lighting. I think it's a lot easier to wear than Tipsy, even without liner, but it's a color I'd go for if I was wearing a heavier eye look.

Cake

Pony is a "soft blue pink in a satin finish." It was one of the first ones I wore and it lasted all day long and only needed touchups in the center after eating. Love this one!

Pony

Punky pencil is a "mid-tone warm neon pink pencil." I got this pencil to pair with the Juicy lippie stix because I didn't have anything similar to Juicy already. The two look really nice together, but are not a perfect match. Punky is a good bright pink that would look good with multiple pink shades, in my opinion.

Punky pencil

Chi Chi pencil is a "bright true orange pencil," which I got to pair with all of my orange lippies since I've been collecting a handful recently. I disagree that it's a "true orange" as it looks like it has some red in it when I'm wearing it, but it's definitely mostly orange and would pair well with most of my orange lipsticks.

Chi Chi pencil

Grind is a "vivid blue violet in a matte finish." Idk if it's just me, but I'm seeing more warm tones in this lippie in my swatch photo. I find it to be a more pink-violet with less blue than they're claiming, but I'm sure it depends on each person's skin tones. This kind of purple is great for just about any season because it's purple, but not so dark that it only feels fall/wintery.

Grind

Leather is a "deep blackened violet in a matte finish." I didn't find this to look "blackened" on me, either. It's similar to Grind, but a few shades darker. It's still a color I'd wear any time of year because I don't find it too dark (I love dark lipstick, though).



Feminist is a "black purple in a matte finish." It's very dark and a good color dupe for Anastasia's Potion liquid lipstick. In this swatch photo, it looks like a slightly darker version of MAC Smoked Purple, but in person, I think it's really similar to Anastasia's Potion. I also find this formula a little less matte than the other mattes that I have.


Brills is a "true cool toned lavender in a satin finish." On me, it's not a pure lavender. It definitely shows some pink hues, but it's a great lavender shade nonetheless. I'm completely in love with this one and it just screams spring and summer to me.

Brills

Wet is a "cool toned taupe gunmetal in a pearlized finish." I love the color, but this one doesn't have the same lasting power that the satins and mattes have, and it's just a little too slippy to get a fully opaque coverage without some extra effort.

Wet
Pitch is a "rich blackened chocolate brown in a matte finish." This brown is beautiful and would look amazing on deeper complexions than mine, but I'm also a fan of dark lips on fair skin. I'm all about brown lipsticks and this one is a winner. It lasts, it applies smoothly, and it's dark.



So far, I really am loving all of the formulas of the Lippie Stix. Their satins are a great finish. Super comfortable to wear, they last for hours, and reapply well over themselves. I'd say the same for the mattes, except the mattes are more of a "demi-matte", IMO, and then they dry down a few hours into wear. Glossies are also very comfy and remind me a lot of MAC's cremesheens, but feel thick and heavy if I apply too much. Hyper glossies are just like glossies except even more shiny.

In terms of value, the Lippie Stix are on a similar price point to MAC's lipsticks. One Lippie Stick contains only 1g (gram) of product and costs $5 while one MAC lipstick contains 3g of product and costs $16, so MAC lipsticks are triple the price plus a dollar for triple the product. I honestly think that the quality of these Lippie Stix are similar to some of MAC's lipsticks, though. I also think it's great that you can buy a small amount of product for a fair (as in, not inflated) price to try a color out you weren't sure you'd like. I never use up full lipsticks, so I don't mind buying a smaller amount of lip product. However, if I was looking specifically for a color I'd wear every day, I'd rather spend the money on a bigger lipstick.


Lippie Stix, lippie pencils, and eyeshadows all retail for $5 each and blushes are $8 each on ColourPop's website and the company states on each product page that they do not test on animals.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks

So Anastasia's liquid lippies launched on their official site on January 7th and I had to just jump in and immediately order four colors. I limited myself to four because I couldn't decide on only one or two, but I didn't have enough money for more than four. I got Pure Hollywood, Neon Coral, Sad Girl, and Potion. I was able to use Anastasia's 10% off code for signing up for an online account with them. The code is "WELCOME10", but it only will work once for initially signing up and logging in, so be sure to order all of the shades you want, if possible.

These lippies apply very smoothly onto my lips and the applicator doesn't get too much product on it. These guys take around a whole minute to dry on me, so I try to just not move my mouth while it dries, especially avoiding pressing my lips together so as not to make it go patchy.

Anyway, I'm loving these so far. They're definitely not completely pro with no con, but I honestly don't think any lip product truly is. I'll list pros and cons (in my opinion/experience) right here and will go into detail after:

PROS:
  • Very smooth application
  • No need to re-dip for the shades I have (except maybe for Neon Coral) 
  • More play time before drying to get it perfect
  • Very long wearing
  • Reapplies smoothly over itself without caking
  • Feels like nothing on the lips
  • Feels fully matte without drying my lips out
  • Doesn't feel too thick or heavy if I layer a gloss over top (though, that will obviously take all matte properties away from the product)
CONS:
  • Breaks up from eating anything oily (common with most lip products, really)
  • Transfers a little bit onto straws, cups, etc.
  • Has less product than some similar products, like KVD Everlasting Love or Pretty Zombie Cosmetics liquid lipsticks
  • Short shelf life according to the product label (only 6 months, but use your own discretion)

Now, in my opinion, these potential cons don't outweigh the pros whatsoever. I'll take a little bit of transfer on my drinking straw and having to reapply after eating if it means I'm wearing the same gorgeous color all day without having to completely remove it to reapply or having to worry about my lips drying up like they do with Lime Crime Velvetines after a few hours, especially in colder weather. These puppies feel like I'm wearing nothing at all on my lips, which, I think, are comparable to the feeling of Kat Von D Everlasting Love lippies. In my experience, the KVD ones feel just a hair lighter.

On my lips, these have been lasting from 7-10 hours depending on what I've been eating or drinking. As long as my lips weren't dry before applying, they don't make my lips any more dry. Liquid lipsticks in general are the kind of product where it's crucial to moisturize beforehand. 

Onto some lip swatches! 

Pure Hollywood
Pure Hollywood is a very nice beige nude with some peachy-pink tones. It looks super pretty when first applied (as shown above), but it does start to look dry after a few hours, or after eating. This is the only shade out of these four I have that actually feels drying after only those first few hours. 

Neon Coral
Neon Coral is a beautiful, bright, neon light orange. It's exactly what I've been looking for for a long time: a bright orange that's not too light, not too peachy, not too dark, and with no excessive red tones. It's the hardest of the four to apply evenly. I find that swirling the wand inside the tube to mix the product before applying helps it go on more evenly without streaks. This color looks absolutely perfect paired with MAC's Grand Pumpkin lipglass (from the Simpsons collection).

Sad Girl 
Sad Girl is so gorgeous in person! It's a nice, deep burgundy sort of a wine shade with little pink glitters in it, but it still dries down to a matte texture like all of the others.

Potion
Potion is a very dark neutral-to-warm toned purple. From a distance, it looks almost black, so it's definitely a statement dark lip color. This one takes a little bit more effort to get fully opaque, but it's a really fun color, even if it's not the kind of shade a ton of people are rushing out to get.


So, all in all, I'd recommend trying these out for sure. I'm not planning to build a huge collection of these, but I do want maybe one or two more colors. These do claim to have a short shelf life on their packaging, though, so I may wait until spring or summer to get any more.

These liquid lipsticks retail for $20 each and can be purchased on Anastasia's official site or at Macy's Impulse stores. Anasasia Beverly Hills does not test on animals.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

My Perpetually Growing Makeup Wishlist

I thought it'd be kinda cool to make a post with all of the things currently in my makeup wishlist from all different places so that it's all together with collective links in one place.


Fair warning that this post will be longer than Satan's dick as I covet a LOT of makeup products. I don't necessarily intend to buy EVERY single full-sized version of these items, but I'd at least like to sample many, if and when possible. There's a lot of foundations in this list, and that's because I still haven't found a foundation that I'm super in love with, so I'm planning to sample a bunch and see if I can find a good one for me. Also, tons of lip products because I'm a huge lip junkie.

*If the text is strikethrough, then it's because I've either bought or sampled the product.


Anastasia Beverly Hills
- Lash Genius Waterproofing Top Coat (love this shit and will totes repurchase)
Clear Brow Gel (I have Granite and it's nice, but the brush is too wide for my skinnier brows; clear would be more functional)

Becca
Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector (no dimethicone; really want to try this)


Kat Von D

Tattoo Liner

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
Nail Lacquer (shades Pool Boy, Derelict, Cosplay, Belladonna, Distortion, Anime, Black Metal Dahlia, Technopagan, Feathered, Tarred, Batty, Inky, and Deven Green)
Cosmetic Colour Pencils (shades Pennyroyal and Sybil)
Lip Tar Primer (good for mixing with loose powder pigments)
- Lip Tar RTW (Indrid, Sebastian, Lydia, Derelict, Synth, Stud, Anime, Technopagan)

Too Faced
Better Than Sex mascara (great mascara, but quite wet. Clumps easily after two layers on me)

Lit Cosmetics
Water Resistant Clearly Liquid Glitter Base
Glitters (Barbie Shops, Goth, Kissy Face, Fire Cracker, Mary Jane)

Sugarpill
Sparkle Baby palette (dat packaging!)
Heartbreaker palette (I already have Sweetheart and Burning Heart shades)
Bulletproof single shadow
- Lashes! IdolCharlotteAngel BabyXOXOPorcelainPixie Bomb, and Stormy (faves!)

Urban Decay
24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils (Stash, Perversion)


Pretty Zombie Cosmetics
Potion #9 liquid lipstick

Medusa's Makeup
Eye Dust: Pennywise, Golden Boy, Mary Jane

Lunatick Cosmetic Labs
AlieNEON palette
- ApocalipSLICK: Coven CreamTainted TemptressParanormal
Sweet Night Light UV-reactive gloss
Oracle palette

Portland Black Lipstick Company
- Lipstick: Coffee, BlackThis Corrosion (how great is that song btw), Indigo Bridge

ColourPop
- Lippie Stix: FeministSkimpyPonyBrillsGrind, LeatherPitchWetLumièreCookieJuicyBoundCakeTootsiBYOB
- Eyeshadow: RouletteSugarRexSlave2Pink, FizzCoconut, Too Shy, RavenFantasy
- Blush: MochiPrenupPegacornCheerioRainSticky Sweet
- Highlighter: WispMonster

WolfeFX
Hydrocolor Essential in Black

Shiro Cosmetics
- Lip gloss: Nic Cage Churning Butter One Crisp Thanksgiving Morn

Moon Prism Power eyeshadow
- Fullmetal Collection: AlkahestryColonelEquivalent ExchangeSlave 23
- Blush: Gelato BeachEndearmentConcubine
- Tinted Balms: A Girl and a CatCome Out, Come Out

- Custom GlossExhumationAlkahestryMoon Prism PowerSlave 23Little BrotherNocturnalNic Cage Raking Leaves on a Brisk October AfternoonBurnt Flowers Fallen

Meow Cosmetics

Jars (5 gram jars for loose shadow samples because I hate baggies)
Sleek Korat or  Sleek Abyssinian mineral foundation

Sayuri Nail Lacquer
- Nail lacquers: DecoraFairy KeiLolitaNeo Plasma

Ben Nye
Banana Powder (or maybe Buff or Cameo)
Clown White Lite foundation for costume looks
Thick Blood


Nyx Cosmetics (links are to Nyx's site, but I often buy their stuff at Ulta, for convenience)
Glam Lipgloss Aqua Luxe in VIP, High Society (already have Disco Playground and it's awesome)

Matte Lipstick in Butter, Natural

Powder Blush in Taupe, Summer Peach, Silky Rose
Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Blue, Extreme Purple
Roll On Eye Shimmer in Onyx, Nude, Platinum


Real Techniques (I already own a bajillion of these, but the following, I still don't have)
Bold Metals 300 Tapered Blush brush
Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour brush

Setting brush
Shading brush
Lash/Brow Groomer brush
Travel Essentials set

Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve (I LOVE this company's stuff and really want to try some more)
- Lip Balm in Vanilla BeanAvocado Cream LavenderMocha Java
Cleansing Sugar Scrub Facial Sorbet
Butter Bar Conditioner 
Ayurvedic Herb Shampoo Bar full size (already use this and it's my fave)
- Soaps: Pumpkin SpiceMistletoeAloe, Aloe, AloeCastile


So that's all I can think of for now. I'll definitely be going back and editing this as new items come out that I want because I basically just want all the things. I'm trying to be on a "low-buy" for now, though. Not a no-buy because I know I'd disappoint myself by not sticking to it, but yeah. I'm not trying to go nuts buying everything in sight with money I don't really have.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in "Granite"

So I was just sitting around watching Rachel Whitehurst's recent Sephora haul video when I see she mentions having got Anastasia's Brow Wiz. I don't often comment people's YouTube videos, but I felt like randomly mentioning how I have a love-hate relationship with Brow Wiz because I love how easy they are to use, but they only last me about two months at best when I'm wearing brows almost every day, and how Granite was my perfect color, but they didn't make it in Dipbrow formula...

Then, somebody replies to my comment saying that Sephora started listing a Granite shade of Dipbrow, but it's out of stock. I nearly flipped a table. I'm actually still in the surprised phase of having been made aware that Anastasia finally has made a Granite Dipbrow. I actually emailed Anastasia several months ago asking if they'd ever be coming out with Granite, but I never got any response.

Anyway, so the fact that Sephora listed it led to me checking Ulta's site, and they indeed also had it. But, I then remembered that I had an Amazon gift card to use, so I checked Amazon and, sure enough, Amazon carries some Anastasia products as well. Got that Prime free two-day shipping, y'all! ;D


So the package arrived yesterday and I had to immediately test it out after snapping a few photos of it in the packaging:

Anastasia Dipbrow packaging

Sticker showing the shade name

Dipbrow product inside its packaging

Bottom of the container showing product info

When I opened the jar, I got just a little bit scared at first, because the product looks very dark. It almost looks like a slightly-less-than-black gel liner (Dipbrow can actually be used as gel liner, btw, but I haven't tried it myself as such).

Under bright kitchen lighting

Kitchen lighting, different angle. Look how dark it looks!

Quite full of product. This will last me forever.
I promptly did my brows as I usually do (I should say, "as I currently do them") to test the product. Anastasia recommends that you never take product directly from the pot and apply to brows, but rather swipe some product into the lid of the jar and use it as a little palette to work off of. It's not sanitary to keep dipping into the jar, but this doesn't seem like as big of an issue for people who never share any of their products with other people. I will say that my Medium Brown Dipbrow has dried up a little bit over these past few months of having it and I was always dipping right into the jar, so I'm going to follow Anastasia's instructions this time around.

Here's the way I currently do my brows. I start applying a teeny amount of Dipbrow where my arch begins and I draw the tails on. Then, I finish the tail shape with the bottom line of my brow. Then, I draw the top and bottom lines at the front of the brow and connect to the tail, and finally, I fill everything in. I also will go over the tails with Maybelline black gel liner to darken the them. I will then blend the hair part with a spoolie and clean up any mistakes with a bit of powder foundation or concealer. When all of that is done, I set the hairs with Maybelline clear mascara or Anastasia Granite tinted brow gel.

Granite Dipbrow with some Maybelline black gel liner on tails

Alternative lighting and angle

I know I've only had this product for a day, but I was using Medium Brown Dipbrow for months and I really love the formula. You can easily achieve anywhere from a very natural brow (if you blend a lot out with a spoolie and go very light-handed) to a full-on sculpted Instagram brow, if that's your thing. I'm elated that they finally came out with a Granite shade because it is, in my opinion, the perfect shade to match black hair. I dye my hair black and I don't really like the way it looks to have brown brows with black hair, but I was doing it anyway because Medium Brown was a good ashy shade. I highly recommend this shade to anybody who wants to have brows that are almost black but not straight-up BLACK and scouse-brow looking.

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in any shade retails for $18 and can be bought from SephoraUltaAmazon, or directly from Anastasia's website (three new shades not listed yet). Anastasia Beverly Hills does not test on animals. :)


What I'm wearing on my face:
- Nyx HD concealer in Green on the inner cheeks and Fair under the eyes
- Urban Decay Naked Skin in 2.0 all over the face
- Ben Nye HD media pro powder to set undereyes
- MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light to set all over face
- No eye makeup
- Anastasia Granite Dipbrow and Maybelline black gel liner on brows
- MAC Blunt blush as cheek contour and Harmony blush as bronzer
- Milani Rose D'Oro baked blush on cheeks and nose
- Nyx Butter Gloss in Ginger Snap